Buttonhole-sewing machine



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Feb. 10, 1931. LEVEQUE 1,791,966

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BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE 17 Sheets-Sheet 10 Filed Sept. 26, 191a a v i 166 Icin -72 101 20W, 57W 2 gr n itiless Feb. 10, 1931. a. T. LEVEQUE I BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1918 1'7 Sheets-Sheet ll Jim/ M My/ML WMA Feb. 10,1931;

B. T. LEVEQUE BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1918 17 Sheets-Sheet l2 Feb. 10, 1931. B..T. LEVEQUE 1 1,791,966

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Filied Sept. 26, 1918 '17 Sheets-Sheet 13 mbless p W 7' wm zdxvw Feb. 10, 1931. B. T. LEVEQUE BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Fiied'Sept. 26, 1918 17 Sheets-Sheet 14 B. T. LEVEQUE BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Feb. 10, 1931.

Filed'Se pt. 2s, 1918 1'? Sheets$heet 15 Feb. 10, 1931. B. T. LEVEQUE BUTTONHOLE S EWING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1918 17 Sheets-Sheet l6 Feb. 10, 1931. B LEVEQUE 1,791,966

BUTTONHOLE SEWING MACHINE Filed Sept. 26, 1918 1'7 Sheets-Sheet 17 tation of the sewing mechanism while sew- Patented Feb. 10, 1931' UNITED STATES.

MACHINERY conronarron, or PATEBSON, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION on,

NEW JERSEY PATEN BERNARD 1.1 LEVEQUE, onwE vHAM, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR 'ro unifies-non BUTTONI-IOLE-SEWING.MACHINE j Application filed September 26, 1918. Serial Nor 255,849.

This invention relates to buttonhole sewing machines, and more particularly to machines in which the work clamp and sewing mechanism are relatively moved to sew an overseam along the sides and about one or both ends of eye-endedbuttonholes.

The machine in which the various features of the invention have been incorporatedis particularly designed for sewing button-holes in shoe flies, although the invention is not confined in its'application to such machine. The requisite relative movements between the work andsewing mechanism are secured by movement of the work clamp'lengthwise and laterally of the buttonhole, and by roing about the eye or about the eye and bar ends of the buttonhole, as is usual in this type of machine. The b uttonhole slit is cut progressively during the sewing by a small reciprocating cutter which operates just in advance of the needles of the sewing mechanism and cuts throughthe work just ahead of the sewing point, thus avoiding the loss of time incident. to cutting the buttonhole slit either before or after the sewing. The

cutter is preferably arranged and operatedto cut at an angle to the surface of the work so that the opposite edges of the buttonhole slit are oppositely inclined to' give clearance for the passage of the under needle without lateral spreading of the slit and the distortion of the finished buttonhole in cident thereto. This manner of cutting the buttonhole' slit also permits a straight under needle to be reciprocated through the slit into and out of position for the upper needle to pass down through the loop of under thread carried thereby, even when operating upon thick stock which would otherwise require such an extreme spread of the slit in order to remove its upper edge from the path of the under needle as to render the use of a reciprocating straight under needle impracticable. The upper thread is automatically cut and held. after the sewing of the buttonhole is completed, the work clamp is opened, and the work is automatically shifted in the work clamp to-bring it into posi-v tion for the sewing of the succeeding button- .hole, thus avoiding the'loss of time incident to manually shifting the work and starting the machine after the sewing ofeach' buttonhole. The sewing mechanism'is actuated,

from a continuously rotating. sewing shaft through connections which permit the needle bars to be retained at the limit'of their retracting stroke when the seam has "been completed, while the shaft and the unar rested members of the connections may continue to move independently, thus avoiding the shock and wear incident to arresting the;

shaft and connections at a definite point in the cycle in order to bring the needles into properstopped position at the end of the sewing. p The features of the. invention will be un* derstood fromani'inspection of the'accom-- panylng drawings and. the following de tailed descrlption of the machine illustrated therein.

In :thedrawings, Figure 1 is a sideelevat1on of a machine embodying the features of the inventionin their preferred formfFig. 2 is a front elevation, parts of the enclosing casmg being removed to show the mechanism otherwise'hidden' thereby; Fig. 3 is a rear ele vation; Fig. 4 is avertical sectional view of the forward-part of the machine on line 4, Flg. 2; Fig. 5 is a similar view of the rear part of the machine on line 5, Fig. 3; Fig. 6

is a partial View similar to Fig. 4, ona larger scale, and showing the partsin a difierent p0 sition; Fig. 7 isa vertical sectional view on line 7, Fig. 1; Fig. 8 is a'detail view showing a different position of the parts; Fig. 9 is a partial elevationlooking towardthe left in Fig. 7 Fig. 10 is a sectional View on line 10, Fig. 7 Figs. 11 to 19 are detail views illustratingthe operation of the sewing mechanism and buttonhole cutter; Fig. 20 is a detail front elevation of the turret and the mechanism carried thereby; Fig. 21 is a detail elevation looking fromthe right in Fig. 20 Fig. 22 is a planview of the parts shown in Fig. 21; Fig.23is ahor'izontal sectional view on lines 23 of Figs. 20 and 21; Fig. 24 is a'sectional elevation showing the mechanism for arresting the movement of the under thread mechanism; Fig. 25 is a sectional plan viewon line 25, Fig. 24; Fig. 26 is a sectional plan View on line 26, Fig. 1, showing the work clamping mechanism; Fig. 27 is a vertical sectional view on line 27, Fig. 4 (the clamp be ing closed and the jaws spread) Fig. 28 is a detail showing the stop dog for the under thread mechanism in its inactive position; Fig. 29 is a detail elevation showing a part of the mechanisms for closing the work clamp and for moving the clamp laterally; Fig. 30 is a partial rear elevation, the casing being broken away to show the parts hidden thereby; Fig. 31 is asectional View on line 31, Fig. 1; Fig. 32 is a detail elevation, the sewing shaft being cut on the line 32, Fig. 36; Fig. 33 is a sectional detail on line 33, Fig. 30; Fig. 34 is a detail side elevation showing the thread cutter mechanism; Fig. 35 is a front elevation, looking toward the right in Fig. 34; and Figs. 36, 37 and 38 are detail plan views illustrating the operation of the thread cutter.

The machine illustrated in the drawings comprises generally a work clamp movable lengthwise and laterally of the buttonhole, sewing mechanism which is mounted to rotate while sewing about the eye and about the bar end of the buttonhole, a small reciprocating cutter which acts on the work just ahead of the sewing point and is mounted to rotate about the same axis as the sewing mechanism while cutting the eye of the buttonhole, a thread cutter and holder for cutting and holding the upper needle thread at the completion of the sewing, and a work spacing gripper which grips the work and shifts it into position for the sewing of a succeeding buttonhole after the thread has been cut and the work clamp has been opened.

The sewing mechanism comprises an upper needle 2, an under needle 4,and a looper 6, which co-operate to sew the well-known overseam stitch. The upper needle is clamped in a block 8 secured to the lower end of a hollow needle bar 10 which is mounted to reciprocate through and to turn with a bearing sleeve 12. (Figs. 2, 4, 7 and 10). The sleeve is rotated while sewing about the eye and about the bar end of the-buttonhole through a horizontal shaft 14 connected therewith by bevel gears 16. The lower needle and looper are mounted on a rotary turret 18 which also carries the throat plate 20 through which the needles pass, and which is provided with the usual stay cord guide 22 (Figs. 21 and 22) The turret is rotated while sewing about the eye and about the bar end of the buttonhole through a horizontal shaft 24 connected therewith by bevel gears 26. The shafts 14 and 24 are rotated in unison at the proper times during the sewing through two gear segments 28 and 30, the former of which engages a pinion 32 on the rear end of the shaft 24, and the latter of which engages a pinion 34 which is connected with the rear end of the shaft 14 by pinions 36. The two segments are connected by a link 38 which is in turn connected by a link 40 with a lever 42 which carries a roll- 44 engaging a cam groove formed in the side of a worm wheel 46 secured to the cam shaft 48 of the machine. (Figs. 3 and 5.)

The lower needle 4 is a straight eye-p0inted needle and it is secured in the upper end of a hollow needle bar50 which is mounted to reciprocate in hearings on the turret 18. (Figs. 20-23.) The path of movement of the needle is at an inclination to the path of movement of the upper needle, and is such that the under needle passes up through the throat plate and presents aloop of under thread in position for the passage down therethrough of the upper needle, as indicated in Figs. 11 and 12. The needle bar is reciprocated through a lever 52 secured to a rock shaft 54 on the turret antl connected by a link 56 with a collar 58 adjustably secured to the needle bar. The lever is oscillated and the shaft 54 rocked through link 60 connecting the lever with the end of an oscillating lever 62, which will presently be described. The looper 6 which takes a loop oi thread from the upper needle and carries it into position over the under needle, as indicated in Figs. 14 to 16, is secured in the upper end of a vertical lever 64 mounted to swing about a pivot 66 which projects horizontally from the hub of a looper carrying lever 68. The looper lever 64 is swung on its pivot through a link 70 which connects the lower end of the lever with a crank 72 which is secured to the end of a rock shaft 74. The carrier lever 68 on which the looper lever is pivoted, is rocked to move the looper laterally by a tln'ee-cornered eccentric 76 secured to the rock shaft 74 and arranged between the arms 78 at the lower end of the lever. The shaft 7 4 is rocked through a link 80 which connects an arm 82 on the rock shaft with an arm 84 on the rock shaft 54.

This under needle and loo per mechanism is simple and durable, and well adapted for high speed operation, since the motions are easy and under positive control. The straight needle bar and needle recipro ating at an inclination to the upper needle path contribute to the simplicity and compactness of the mechanism, and are also particularly well adapted for sewing buttonholes, such, for instance, as lly bar buttonholes, in which the under needle penetrates the stock at certain points in the seam, and is therefore subjected to strains which curved under needles are ill adapted to withstand.

The mechanism for cutting the buttonhole slit comprises a cutter blade 86 arranged to pass through an opening 88 formed in the throat plate directly in advance of the path of the under needle 4. T 1e cutting point of the blade is preferably curved in cross-section, as indicated in Fig. 13, so that it will act will therefore pass through the slit without danger of striking its 'upper edge, whatever the thickness of the work. The cutter bar is reciprocated from the upper needle bar through a lever 94 connected by a link 96 to the cutter bar, and by a link 98 to a sleeve 100 which surrounds the needle bar and is con-. fined between the needle block 8 and a collar 102 secured to the bar (Fig. 7,.) The support 92 for the cutter bar is secured to the lower end of a sleeve 10% which surrounds the sleeve 12, and is mounted for rotation in a bearing in the head of the mach ne. The cutter carrymg sleeve 1041s rotated during the-sewing about the eye of the buttonhole through a sleeve 106 surrounding the needlebar sleeve 12 and supported by a semi-circular shoe 108 formed on the end of a fixed stud 110 and eng'iging an annular groove in the sleeve. This sleeve is connected with the sleeve 104: by coupling lugs 112 which project from the upper end of the sleeve 10% into slotsformed in the lower end of the sleeve 106. This coupling permits the sleeve 104; to be moved vertically to render the cutter active or inactive. j

The sleeve 106 is rotated through a horizontal shaft 11% connected therewith by bevel gears 116 and rocked at suitable intervals through a gear segment 118 engaging a pinion 120 on the rear end of the shaft and operated through a lever 122 connected withthe segment by a link 12 and operated by a cam groove in the front face of the worm wheel l-cwhich is engaged by a roll on the lever. (Figs. 3, 4 and The mechanism for raising the cutter carrier sleeve 104: to render the cutter inactive comprises a bell crank lever 126, the forward end of which is connected by a link 128 with a semi-circular shoe 130 which engages an annular groove in the sleeve, and the other end of which carries a roll which is held in en-.

in position for the passage therethrough of the upper needle, as indicated in Fig. 12. During the downward stroke of theupper needle the cutter bar is moved downward and the on tor blade acts to cut a slit in the work st in advance of and close to the under .l needle,as indicated 1n Figs. 7 and 13. I After the lo'oper has taken a loop of upper-needle thread the. needles arev returnedto active positions and the looper carries the loop of thread over the under needle, the return movement of the upper needlebar raising the cutter into its upper position clear of the work. Thefeed of'the work then takesplace and'the slit cut by the cutteris brought into register with the under needle so that the needle passes up through this slit .during its upward movemen These operations are repeated during each stitch-formlng cythe buttonhole sht is progressively out clc and gust in advance of the sewing point. When the ,sewmgotthe first side of the buttonhole jhas reached the point indicated in Fig. 17, the cutter bar'carrier is rotated to p'rogres-' sively cut the semi-circular end of the but- I tonh'ole eye the sewing progresses. During the sewing down the opposite side of the buttonhole the cutter continues to act progressively and cuts this edge ofthe buttonhole slit at an angle to the surface of the workcorresponding to. the inclination of the under needle path and opposite to the inclination of the opposite edge of the slit. As thebar end of the buttonhole is rcachechor substantially at'the point in the sewing indicated in Fig. 18, the cam 132 acts to raise the cutter carrier sleeve 10% into the posie ticn indicated in Fig. 8 so that the downward movement of the needle bar will not 8 bring the cutter into engagement with the and thus renders the cutter inactive ing mechanism in sewing about the bar end of the buttonhole; In case the seam is to eX- tend beyond the end of the buttonhole slit, for instance, inthe case of a fly bar but tonhole, the mechanism for rendering the cutter active and inactive should be constructed to hold the cutter out of active position during the sewing of the beginning as well as the end of the seam, and should throw it into action when the desired point in the sewing of the first side of the buttonhole is reached, and again throw it out of action when the same point is reached in sewing the second side of the buttonhole. The cutterv may be rendered inactive at the will of the operator by a cam 131 secured on a manually-operablerock shaft 138 and arranged to lift the lever 126'and support it in raised position.

Both the upper needle bar and the under needle and looper mechanism are connected wi a parts which reciprocate synchronously therewith, and are actuated from a continuously rotating shaft t irough connections which permit the reciprocating parts to be arrested and held at the limit of their needle retracting strokes without requiring the arrest 01"- the shaft and connections through which motion is normally transmitted to the reciprocating parts. Meansis also provided the continued operation of the sew- 

